Reviews 

Review: The Punisher #16

By | September 28th, 2012
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Greg Rucka’s “Punisher” ongoing comes to an end after only 16 issues. And within these 16 issues was an already classic tale in the Punisher mythos that did a lot to advance a character that has been around since 1974. That’s not easy, but it’s even harder to stick the landing. Did Rucka and Checchetto do it?

Written by Greg Rucka
Illustrated by Marco Checchetto

The Punisher and Cole reach a shared conclusion. Prepare for the War Zone.

Great stories are built around extremely high stakes. When there are true consequences to the actions of the characters you’re reading, it makes for truly gripping and satisfying stories that feel like they matter. If you’ve been following Rucka’s “Punisher”, then you know that a lot of stuff hit the fan last issue. I really don’t want to spoil it, as it’s relatively fresh and I want to convince non-readers to read it. I’ll just leave it at the fact that the NYPD lost some of their own in the crossfire and there are few things that police take harder than one of their squad mates to cold blood. The stakes are about as realistic and serious as they get for street-level crime stories. The Punisher and his current tagalong, Rachel Alves, need to get moving and that sense of claustrophobia hovers over the opening scenes.

The mix of writing and art is among the best in mainstream comics today. Few writers are as confident and careful as Rucka is in allowing their artist to take over the telling of the story and to drive the mood of the entire piece. This is a relatively muted issue that only says what needs to be said in dialogue and narration. Silence causes the reader to hang on the gravity and hopelessness on the faces of our two protagonists. An economy of words and a definite case of actions speaking louder permeates throughout these 20 pages.

Checchetto has an uncanny ability to draw iconically stylized characters who still look like real people. The Punisher himself has the best design of all, with an exterior that reflects the growth of his character. He’s grown a beard, has an eye-patch, and is favoring a roughly painted skull t-shirt. All visual cues that he’s gone rogue on his own cold-blooded killer identity, spending most of the issue doing the exact opposite of what he’s known for. He’s weaving through his adversaries like a silent defender and trying his damnedest to prevent some very important deaths from occurring along the way. Not an unrecognizable or mis-handled character, but a very different Punisher than we’re used to seeing. Checchetto handles the Punisher’s swift movements with beautiful poetry – stylized enough to make the Punisher seem like more than a man, but never confusing or unbelievable.

Greg Rucka and a bevy of talented artists have crafted a new side to the Punisher that feels like it was somewhere in there all along, just waiting to get out. They also navigated Rachel Alves-Cole through a sneak-attack of truly great character development over just 16 issues. It’s stunning to think of the transformation that took place. With Rucka leaving mainstream comics in distaste, we’ll be missing out on a writer who knows how to grow characters better than most. Hopefully the positive work he’s done with these two characters does not go wasted or unnoticed. If there’s any bad taste left after the final issue of this run, it’s a bittersweet one based on the fact that Marvel dictated its end. There are so many stories left in here just dying to be told.

Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy. Among the best Punisher stories ever told.


Vince Ostrowski

Dr. Steve Brule once called him "A typical hunk who thinks he knows everything about comics." Twitter: @VJ_Ostrowski

EMAIL | ARTICLES